The field of the invention is the burial of human remains, and more specifically an apparatus and method that allow for the adjacent burial of cremated remains of multiple persons via a burial vault that is capable of interment of one or more whole bodies.
There is a limited amount of space in existing cemeteries that are surrounded by urban and suburban developments. The desire by consumers or buyer family members to be buried in close proximity to relatives, or where living relatives dwell is an innate human desire that is becoming more expensive due to the imbalance of supply and demand.
Cremation has become a more common practice due to its lower costs, but leaves relatives of the deceased with the issue of placement or disposal of ashes. To date, there have been limited opportunities to memorialize the resting place of cremated remains with traditionally buried remains in a way that assures a common memorial location for several generations of a family.
Cemeteries face increasing costs if they can purchase adjacent land, as well as the uncertain future costs to develop and maintain this land.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a method of burial that meets the needs of consumers, allowing for close burial of related persons in existing cemeteries close to where they already live, yet at the same time provides a long-term revenue stream for cemeteries after existing plots are sold.
The above and other objects, effects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of the embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.